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Thanks to everyone who participated in our Banners on the Parkway postseason player report cards. We'll be breaking down each player's grades for the rest of this week and on into next week, where we'll reveal the top finisher according to the community. We'll also be assigning and explaining our own grades of each player. We'll start with the player who got the lowest community ranking and work our way up to the MVP.
| JP Macura | Votes | % of votes |
|---|---|---|
| A | 233 | 47.50% |
| B | 234 | 47.70% |
| C | 16 | 3.30% |
| D | 1 | 0.20% |
| F | 7 | 1.40% |
| Community GPA: 3.40 |
Where do you start with JP Macura, other than maybe getting him a belt? The Myles Fox Morrisey incident was another star in the constellation of shame that was Xavier’s summer, but Macura was still the same guy we were expecting by the time he stepped back onto the court. With Ed Sumner and occasionally Trevon Bluiett out and/or hampered by injury, JP was occasionally this team’s number one option. He stepped up admirably.
Offense: A
JP’s minutes jumped by 11 per game and his usage rate by 4%, and his ORtg dropped from 122 as a sophomore to 111 as a junior. That was still an excellent mark, but it represented a bit of a step back in efficiency. Almost all of that can be accounted by shot selection, as JP’s EFG% dropped from 55% to 50%. JP’s assist rate was up and his TO% was still excellent despite more time with the ball in his hands; his line of 14.4/4.4/2.9 was an excellent showing, and his knack for putting the defense (and occasionally his own offense) into a state of chaos was unabated.
Defense: B
Give me a couple possessions and I think I could get a bucket off of JP in man. On the point of a zone, though, he comes into his own. With a list of responsibilities that apparently reads “be an agent of chaos” with no further instructions, JP closes down passing lanes, forces teams to start the offense from thirty feet out, and generally pops up where the opponent least wants him to be. A little extra discipline shows up in his increased DReb% (up to 10.8% from 5.6% a year ago). He may never be Stan Burrell, but he’s holding his own on the defensive end.
Overall: B+
On the one hand, you think about an A for JP. On the other hand, you remember he shoots the occasional no-look layup or turns a fast break into a turnover with an overambitious pass. I think JP will always have a little extra panache to his game, and I think that will sometimes show up in inopportune ways. There will be the occasional headache, but JP is the kind of guy you really want on your team.